The motor domain of testis-enriched kinesin KIF9 is essential for its localization in the mouse flagellum |
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| Authors: | Haruhiko Miyata Yuki Oyama Yuki Kaneda Masahito Ikawa |
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| Institution: | 1)Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan;2)Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan;3)The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan |
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| Abstract: | Kinesin is a molecular motor that moves along microtubules. Testis-enriched kinesin KIF9 (Kinesin family member 9) is localized in the mouse sperm flagellum and is important for normal sperm motility and male fertility; however, it is unclear if the motor domain of KIF9 is involved in these processes. In this study, we substituted threonine of the ATP binding motif in the KIF9 motor domain to asparagine (T100N) in mice using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, which is known to impair kinesin motor activity. T100N mutant mice exhibit reduced sperm motility and male fertility consistent with Kif9 knockout mice. Further, KIF9 was depleted in the spermatozoa of T100N mutant mice although the amounts of KIF9 were comparable between wild-type and T100N mutant testes. These results indicate that the motor domain of KIF9 is essential for its localization in the sperm flagellum. |
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| Keywords: | axoneme genome-editing kinesin male fertility sperm motility |
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